Chapter 85: The Primordial Forest

After several hours of hard riding, the endless expanse of the Borderlands Forest finally appeared at the edge of the group’s vision.

“They say this forest is larger than the entire Elfin Kingdom. Just thinking about it makes my legs weak,” Little Donnie muttered as he stared at the rolling sea of trees. “Feels like you could get lost forever if you took one wrong turn in there…”

“Then you’d better stay close,” Nolan laughed. “I have no interest in searching for people in a place like this.”

At the edge of the forest, towering ancient trees blotted out the sky. Sunlight filtered through only in scattered patches between the leaves. A thin mist drifted through the woods, carrying the scent of damp earth and rotting leaves, making the entire forest feel mysterious and impossibly deep.

A gust of wind swept through the treetops, and the vast forest rustled like waves.

“Let’s go.”

Nolan slowed his horse and became the first to step into this kingdom of nature.

It was Little Donnie and Vivi’s first time here. Both followed closely behind him, unable to hide the tension on their faces as they looked into the dark forest ahead. The feeling this place gave off was completely different from any ordinary woodland they had ever seen.

Renee, despite being a local, looked even more uneasy. Ever since childhood, everyone had strictly forbidden people from approaching this primordial forest. If Vivi had not been holding her around the waist, she probably would have been trembling already.

“No need to worry.” Nolan noticed their nervousness and spoke reassuringly. “The Borderlands Forest is dangerous, but most of that danger comes from the deeper regions. As long as we’re careful in the outer areas, we’ll be fine.”

He pointed toward a nearby patch of Matona Grass, a high-grade alchemical material that grew almost everywhere along the outer edge of the forest.

“This forest is an enormous treasure trove. To those who understand its rules, it’s incredibly generous. But to intruders who don’t, it shows its fangs without mercy. And we,” he said, tapping his temple lightly, “are the ones holding the key.”

“What key?” Vivi asked quietly, instinctively lowering her voice as she looked at the hanging vines around them.

“Knowledge.”

After confirming their direction by the position of the light overhead, Nolan continued deeper into the forest.

Little Donnie was thrilled by the coming adventure, though the unknown dangers still frightened him. He took a deep breath, thumped his chest to encourage himself, tightened his grip on the sword at his waist, and urged his horse onward.

Vivi squeezed Renee’s slightly sweaty hand and comforted her gently, “Don’t be scared, Renee. Nolan never does anything unless he’s sure about it. Sure, this idiot loves acting mysterious… but trust the lord.”

Feeling the warmth from Vivi’s hand and hearing her teasing tone eased much of Renee’s anxiety. She nodded firmly.

The moment they entered the forest proper, the light dimmed drastically.

Nolan led from the front, constantly adjusting their direction according to the “guide map” stored in his memory.

Finding the entrance to Gap of Ages was itself the dungeon’s first challenge. The entrance was hidden extremely well, with no obvious markers whatsoever. The only way to locate it was by recognizing tiny environmental clues scattered through the area.

Navigation inside the forest was especially difficult. Every direction looked almost identical, and the thick canopy blocked out the sun almost entirely.

Nolan maintained a steady pace for the horses, relying on the crude but reliable method of fixing north and counting steps to track their location. High-level rangers and hunters would probably laugh themselves to death at such a primitive technique, but it was also the safest and least likely to leave them lost.

The search consumed the entire morning.

Along the way, they ran into trouble more than once.

The outer forest was far from peaceful. Many aggressive magical beasts showed absolutely no hospitality toward trespassers entering their territory.

“Something’s coming!” Vivi suddenly turned her head sharply.

A monstrous Ironhide Boar, nearly the size of a buffalo, burst violently from the bushes. Its tusks, thick as short spears, gleamed with cold light. An adult specimen was around level twenty-four. Dangerous, but manageable.

The real problem with Ironhide Boars was that they traveled in packs.

Sure enough, several more boars of varying sizes quickly surrounded the group.

“Monsters!” Little Donnie shouted, instantly drawing his sword.

“Wait.” Nolan raised a hand and stopped him.

“Huh? Brother Nolan?” Little Donnie looked back in confusion.

“I’ll leave this to you three.” Nolan calmly crossed his arms. “Perfect chance for practice. Remember, I won’t interfere unless your lives are in danger.”

“Wh-what?” Little Donnie blinked.

“That’s right.” Nolan nodded. “Little Donnie, hold them from the front. Vivi, look for openings on the flanks and rear, but watch out for the tail swings. Renee, use elemental resonance to interfere with their vision and movement.”

Rather than joining the fight himself, Nolan took the role of battlefield commander.

These magical beasts ranged mostly between Bronze rank and low Silver rank. For the now considerably stronger trio, the fight would be challenging but far from fatal. It was the perfect opportunity to train their teamwork in actual combat.

The battle began immediately.

Little Donnie took a deep breath, raised his sword, and bravely met the charging boar head-on. With a thunderous crash, he was sent stumbling backward, his arms numb from the impact. The boar’s strength far exceeded his expectations.

“Fool! Don’t block it head-on!” Nolan’s voice rang out from behind. “Its advantage is straight-line momentum. Sidestep! Redirect the force instead of resisting it!”

Little Donnie reacted instantly. When the boar charged again, he twisted aside and slammed the flat of his blade hard against one tusk.

This time, the massive force was diverted sideways. The boar lost balance and crashed headfirst into a nearby tree with a painful squeal, momentarily stunned.

“Good opening! Vivi!”

Vivi was already moving before he finished speaking. Her figure flickered like a phantom as she appeared behind the boar. Her dagger stabbed precisely into the creature’s softer underbelly.

At the same time, Renee’s clear chanting voice rang through the forest. “Wanderers of the endless plains, spirits of untamed freedom, answer my call… Wind Bind!”

Streams of green air wrapped around the limbs of the other boars. No matter how they thrashed and squealed, they could no longer move properly, drastically slowing them down. Under the trio’s coordinated assault, the vicious-looking Ironhide Boars soon collapsed one after another with miserable cries.

“Well done.” Nolan stepped forward with a satisfied nod. “Your coordination’s improving. But there are still problems.” He pointed at Little Donnie first. “Your talent is exceptional. Honestly, you could even be called a genius. But you rely too much on courage. Start using your brain more.” Then he looked toward Vivi. “Your attacks are lethal, but your timing needs work. Earlier, you almost got surrounded by the other boars.” Finally, he turned to Renee. “Your casting speed is good, but you need to learn battlefield prediction. Prepare your spells in advance instead of waiting for my orders.”

He mercilessly pointed out every flaw from the battle.

Although the three of them had won, they accepted Nolan’s criticism humbly.

And so they continued onward.

Walking, fighting, teaching.

Under Nolan’s guidance as a “gold-tier sparring coach,” the trio rapidly improved. What had begun as clumsy, chaotic battles against low-level magical beasts gradually became smooth and controlled. Their teamwork grew more seamless with every encounter.

Meanwhile, Nolan remained constantly alert. Ever since entering the forest, he had felt as though something was watching them.

Several times he investigated subtly, but found nothing. Everywhere he looked, there were only trees. The sensation was like being observed by the wind itself, intangible and impossible to grasp, yet present everywhere.

Vivi appeared to sense it as well. Her instincts were even sharper than his, but she too failed to discover any trace.

Only one possibility fit.

The Borderlands Forest was home to a secluded race that lived completely isolated from the outside world. They regarded the forest as their mother and chose to remain apart from civilization. Most of them despised outsiders.

Nolan did not mention any of this aloud. Since whoever was following them showed no hostility, he was perfectly happy pretending not to notice. As long as they did not interfere with his search for Gap of Ages, he had no desire to create unnecessary trouble.

Fortunately, the journey remained relatively smooth. By the time the sun neared its highest point in the sky, the group finally arrived at a sparse clearing deep within the woods.

“Brother Nolan, we’ve already walked so far. Are we there yet?” Little Donnie wiped sweat from his forehead. The continuous battles had exhausted him considerably.

Nolan stopped and slowly scanned the area.

He found it.

At the four edges of the clearing stood four unusually massive ancient trees. Their age far surpassed all the surrounding trees, and their trunks were covered with the scars of countless years.

He turned around.

“We’re here.”

“Here?”

Little Donnie, Vivi, and Renee all froze. They looked around the clearing in confusion. Aside from being slightly more open than the surrounding forest, it looked no different from anywhere else they had passed.

No ruins. No ancient structures. Not even the slightest trace of anything man-made. Only untouched wilderness.

The three stared at the clearing in bewilderment.

Don’t tell me…

Their expressions immediately darkened.

Surely they were not about to start digging holes.